Teeter motor game



April 9, 1946: w. M. GATES 2,398,130

I TEETER MOTOR GAME I I Filed Oct. 15, 1945 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT OR. WILL/AM M. GATES av m zm a ATTORNEYS April 9, 1946.

w. M. GATES 2,398,180

TEE'IER MOTOR GAME Filed Oct. 15, 1945 s Sheets-Sheet 2 v v. e

IN VEN TOR. WILL/AM 6A 755 ATTCI RN EYB April 9, 1946.

W. M. GATES TEETER MOTOR GAME Filed Oct. 15, 1945 3- Sheets-Sheet 3 INVEN TOR.

W/LL/AM M. GATES ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 9, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TEETER MOTOR GAME William M. Gates, Montrose, 0010.

Application October 15, 1945, Serial No. 622,247

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a teeter-motor and more particularly to a mechanical toy for children which is actuated by marbles or other rolling elements.

An object of this invention is to provide a toy that is simple, inexpensive to manufacture and will afford children a great deal of pleasure.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein described may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the inven tion.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a toy embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a side view thereof partly broken away.

Figure 3 is an end view thereof partly in section and partly broken away and Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail the reference character I!) designates the frame of the toy which comprises vertical inclined legs l2 and 14 respectively connected in oppositely positioned pairs by horizontal braces IS.

The legs l2 are of a greater height than the legs l4 and the legs support the trough or gravity runway l8 at an incline.

The highest end of the runway I8 is provided with a hopper 20, having an inclined floor 22 which is adopted to hold the marbles or other rolling elements 24 therein.

Immediately adjacent the hopper 2B and communicating therewith is the rotor housing 26 for the rotor 28, which is mounted on the shaft 30 journalled in the sides of the housing 26.

The rotor 28 is provided with the depression 32 of a slightly larger size than the marbles 24, and when fed from the hopper 20 the marbles will enter the depression 32.

When the rotor 28 revolves it will convey the marbles to the lower end of the trough l8 and traveling downward the marbles will drop through the opening 34 in the end thereof. The marbles will then drop into the cup 36 fastened on the end of the teeter totter 38 which is pivoted at 40 by means of the shaft 42, journalled in bearings 44, secured to the braces It will be overbalanced and permit the marbles 24 to be deposited into the inclined return chute 45 down which the marbles will roll to be collected at the end thereof. The shaft 42 is secured to the teeter totter 38 by means of the bearings 43.

The movement of the teeter totter 38 will actuate the link 48, which is pivotally connected to the teeter totter by a pin 59 journalled in bearings 52, fixed to the teeter totter. The link 48 will actuate the rotor 28 by means of a link 54 pivoted thereto at 5t and secured to the rotor shaft 30 at 58. Thus the rotor will be actuated to cause the marbles 24 to roll down the trough 18'.

The movement of the teeter totter 38 will also revolve the flywheel or belt pulley Bil by means of the following mechanism.

The pulley 68 is mounted on the crank shaft 62 which is journalled in bearings 64 mounted on the braces l6 and a link 86 mounted on the shaft 62 is pivotally connected to the teeter totter 38 by means of a pin 68 secured to the teeter totter 38 by L-shaped bearings 10.

The teeter totter 38 is provided with a counter weight 12 at the end thereof and the return chute 48 is provided with the extended sides 14 at the point where the marbles 24 are deposited therein.

In operation of the toy the teeter totter 38, will be moved to permit a marble to roll down the trough l8 or a marble can be dropped into the trough l 8 by hand the actuation of the teeter totter by the weight of the marble falling thereon will actuate the rotor to feed another marble into the trough at the same time revolving the Wheel 60, this will continue until all the marbles have been discharged from the hopper or if the child desires he can collect the marbles at the lower end of the return chute and continue the toy in operation as long as he continues to feed the marbles to the hopper.

It is believed that the operation and construction of the toy will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it will be seen that a toy has been provided that will accomplish the objects of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a frame adapted to support a gravity runway, a hopper at the upper end of said runway, a housing communicating with said hopper, a rotor having a depression therein communicating with said hopper, a cup positioned below the lower end of said runway a teeter totter supporting said cup and means connected to said 3. The invention as in claim 1 wherein the teeter totter for actuating said rotor to convey upper end of a gravity return chute is positioned marbles contained in said hopper to said runway. below said cup to receive marbles deposited there- 2. The invention as in claim 1 wherein a wheel in from said cup.

mounted on a crank shaft is adapted to be ro- 5 WILLIAM M. GATES.

tatedby means connecting said crank shaft to said teeter totter. 

